Metallic wool pad



Nov. 7, 1933. P. MALEBRANCHE 1,933,745 I I METALLIC WOOL PAD Filed Nov. 20, 1951 INVENTOR. Baa 1 BJZZ; Zeb ran /2e,

ATTORNE Patented Nov. 7, 1933 P TENT oFFice METALLIC W001i PAD Paul B. Malebranche, Terre Hill, Pa.

Application November 20, 1931' Serial No. 576,279

4 Claims. (01. -209) and there is considerable difierence between work of a new sheet of sandpaper and the same 15 sheet after but a few minutes, or even a few seconds, use. This is due both to the fragile nature of the individual sand particles, the early loss of their original characteristically sharp edges and corners, and the fact that the spaces between them so quickly fill and become clogged with particles of the material being treated.

The object therefore has been to adapt ordinary, inexpensive steel metal wool for this work, but its use in the ordinary manner, that is, a heterogeneous mass, even from the start is not feasible, and in referring to steel wool it is to be understood that this term is not intended to be specific, but is employed as representing the best form of metallic wool available at this time, and subject to be supplanted at any time that a better substitute becomes known.- To adapt steel wool for use as a sandpaper substitute it is primarily necessary to arrange its myriad strands in parallelism, so that the ends only of the many threads are present in the working surface.

Another object is to provide steel wool in a surficiently solid mass to form an inherent support for and prevent the turning over of the individual exposed ends of the metal strands of which the device is composed, and to so groove this mass as to provide a series of spaces into which the particles resulting from the abrasion of a surface can enter, and from which they can be removed by blowing, jolting, or by means of the jerking motion of the device when in ordinary use.

With these and other objects in mind, the present invention comprises further details of construction and operation which are fully 50' brought out in the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same; andFig. 3 is a side eleva- )5 tional view of the same.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a unitary block 1 of relatively short strands of metal wool, which at this time is preferably of that type known as steel wool, and the many strands of which lie in parallelism and vertically, as viewed in Fig. 3, or horizontally, as viewed in Fig. 2.

These almost innumerable strands are secured together by means of a suitable band or baling strip 2, after the original volume of the loose strands has been condensed by means of relatively great pressure. In fact, in the formation of a unit of substantially the size illustrated, a pressure of several tons is applied.

Too great pressure tends to cause the strands to become almost forged together so that their abrasiveaction in the resulting mass is much impaired. However, unless a great pressure is applied, the unit is less rigid andfails to maintain its initial planular form, together with other 7 drawbacks which are to be avoided.

Preferably after the block is formed, compressed and bound, either or both of the opposite surfaces are cut away as by means of a milling machine, to provide any suitable arrangement of initially relatively narrow abrading areas 3, separated by grooves 4, the sides 5 of which preferably converge inwardly, and which serve toprovide recesses for the accumulation of the dust and fine particles in general which develop from the use of the device upon a given surface.

It is of course to be understood that the number, size, direction and general arrangement of these abrading areas and intervening recesses may be as desired by the manufacturer or as best adapted to given conditions of material, work to be done, and the like. Also, it is probable that wool of different degrees of coarseness will work better with different dimensions and arrangement of these areas and recesses.

The exact method whereby the strands of wool are assembled in parallelism is not intended to comprise a limitation of the present invention. However, it might be said that while any suitable method will sufiice, it has been found that a 10 very economical and efficient method comprises the winding of many strands of the wool upon a mandrel, withdrawing the body of wound wool from the mandrel in the form of .a hollow cylinder, flattening such body, piling several such 1 flattened bodies one upon another, and then applying the pressure hereinbeforereferred to, in order to highly compress thewool, after which the band is applied in order to maintain the body of wool in predetermined size, shape and density,

and the ends of the composite flattened body then cut so as to present only the free ends of the metallic Wool on one operating surface.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An abrading device, comprising a unitary block of metallic W001, the strands of which are uni-directional, one surface of said block formed.

by the ends only of the metallic Wool being corrugated, to provide spaced abrading areas and intervening recesses for the accumulation and disposal of the abraded particles.

2. An abrading device, comprising a unitary block of hi hly compressed metallic Wool, the strands of which are uni-directional, one surface of said block formed by the ends only of the me tallic wool being so formed as to provide spaced abrading areas and intervening recesses for the accumulation and disposal of abraded particles.

3. An abrading device, comprising a block of metallic Wool, the strands of which are uni-directional, and peripherally extending means binding and compressing said strands together to form a relatively solid unit, one surface of said block formed by the ends only of the metallic Wool being corrugated, to provide spaced abrading areas'vvith intervening recesses forthe accumulation and disposal of abraded particles.

4. An abrading device comprising a mass of metallic wool, the strands of which are uni-directional, and means to firmly bind said strands together to form a relatively solid block, an operating surface of the block, formed by the ends only of said strands, being cut to form spaced ridges and intervening recesses.

PAUL B. MALEBRANCHE. 

